This Week in “Blame It on Emasculation”: The London Riots

Talking heads, academics and news outlets have been speculating about the motives behind the recent London riots. Most have agreed on a complex combination of deep-seated racial and economic inequality, made worse by record-high youth unemployment rates and abuses of authority by London police.

But right-wing writer and rifle-enthusiast Frank Miniter has a different opinion. In an editorial for the conservative National Review, Miniter explains the problem: The riots boil down to the British people’s “unmanly” surrender of their right to bear arms.

“As the English hand their government more of their individual liberty–and thereby their self-reliant manliness–their government becomes more authoritarian. Individuals have diminished means for protecting themselves and their property, which should have made London’s looting, vandalism, and other crimes very predictable. … The loss of their right to self-preservation has created a culture of dependency on government (for protection and so much more) that has helped neuter the English male.”

Luckily, Miniter has just the solution to re-inject the U.K. with a much-needed dose of testosterone: Give them back their guns.

In the humble opinion of this feminist, only the executive field editor of the NRA’s American Hunter magazine would think, What’s the solution to rioting in the streets of London? I know! Let’s give them all firearms!

In case we were worried Miniter’s views were sexist, the author of The Ultimate Man’s Survival Guide: Recovering the Lost Art of Manhood reminds us: “Gun rights are women’s rights, as they make the frailest woman the equal of the strongest male.”

See? Even if he implies that to be woman-like is to be weak, subservient and bring on the downfall of society, Miniter and his posse of “manly” men really have women’s best interests at heart.

Comments

Unfortunately that really is the view of many Americans. The right to bear arms tops every other consideration, and countries that limit or ban the use of firearms are simply not taken seriously. There us absolutely no notion of “Violence begets Violence”.

Amazing! Just when I thought I’d heard all of the most absurd explanations for the riots, this one trumps the lot. Four people have died already, and given the complete lack of regard that the rioters had for other human beings it’s a miracle that more haven’t. God only knows how many would have died if these rioters had the right to bear arms.

Despite the fact that lots of people on both the right and left claimed to have been expecting this, I think everyone was shocked by the rioting and no-one really knows why it happened and why it was so extreme. Even the rioters themselves made no political demands and didn’t even try to morally justify their actions. This lack of a simple explanation leaves the door open for any commentator to just insert their pre-existing ideology as the “obvious reason for this complete breakdown of order”.

I see a battle of narratives emerging and which one wins could have a profound effect on culture, policy and the speed at which Britain heads right (it’s not going left regardless). Fortunately, I don’t think that Miniter’s gun control explanation will win much open support here (in Britain), but his emasculisation idea combined with the usual strong dose of single mother blaming is a worryingly popular narrative.

Agreed. I think Ashoka, Ghandi, Malcolm X and MLK had the idea right: an effort for change has to come through organized communication amongst all races without resorting to violence, because violence simply can not be contained. Human beings have the right to protect themselves, but this is about the long, deeply rooted race problems in London and across the world. Riots have historically occurred here in America too, especially in my hometown. Newark, NJ broke out in riots after MLK was assassinated.

In Sudan people are fighting against the murder of their people by BP and Shell gas. They have a “scorched earth” policy which is sad because Africa is beautiful, and why should it take this to have what is rightfully yours and proven stolen?

People need knowledge and innerstanding of who we all are and how we are all apart of one human family tree. Our races are simple genetic mutations that show God’s ability to create an organism that can adapt to it’s environment, learn tramendous amounts of knowledge, and do astounding things. We have to rise to occasion as a people to be better towards one another, for the sake of ourselves.